MCRD San Diego -- Fighting has been engrained in human culture from the days of gladiators to the dueling of nobility with pistols. As recruits evolve into Marines and enter the Marine fleet force they may or may not find themselves in a similar combative situation.
Regardless, it is the intent of their drill instructors to give them the skills to defend themselves.
Recruits with Company I, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, practiced various chokes, counter to chokes and knife slashes aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego July 16. Drill Instructors also finished the martial arts instruction with an open discussion on alcohol abuse.
After recruits practiced their chokes and counters they picked up rubber knives to practice slashes. Recruits lined in evenly spaced columns and practiced slashing at invisible opponents until their drill instructors felt the lesson was absorbed. The large group of recruits followed the commands of their instructors carrying out their moves in unison with one another.
“I found it very useful because I’ll be in the infantry and it may save my life one day in hand to hand combat,” said Recruit Jarred E. Berding, Platoon 3206, Company I. “My older brother and cousins would put me in chokes and I never knew how to break out of them. It was exciting to learn how to get out of them and got me pumped.”
For other recruits basic boxing moves were nothing new but throws and knife techniques were something unexpected and an opportunity they were not taking for granted.
“A knife class is not your typical class you take every day. I found it interesting because it was something new and completely different for me. Anybody can walk into a gym and learn to throw a punch not everybody can learn the proper technique to defend a knife attack,” said Recruit Omari A. Panas, Plt. 3206, who also boxed as a youth.
After a quick cool down stretch, recruits were brought together for a discussion on alcohol abuse and its consequences.
Staff Sgt. Jaime Lerma, senior drill instructor, Platoon 3207, Company I, explained that it’s important to have a balance of learning between combat skills and Marine ethos. After every Marine Corps Martial Arts Program class, time is allotted to talk to the recruits about the Marine Corps policy on things like underage drinking and drinking and driving.
“We don’t want them to get into the mentality that there only here to learn combat skills,” said Lerma, also a black belt MCMAP instructor trainer. “It makes me happy to see a kid that was timid about everything get out here and get into being physical. This could be life changing for them.”